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"The face of the operation is Briatore (referred to exclusively in the film by his colleagues and angry, chanting detractors as "Flavio"), an anthropomorphic radish who spends most of his time at QPR plotting to fire all of the managers."

At press time, Harbaugh had sent Michigan’s athletic department an envelope containing a heavily annotated seating chart, a list of the 63,000 seat views he had found unsatisfactory, and a glowing 70-page report on section 25, row 12, seat 9, which he claimed is “exactly what the great sport of football is all about.”

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I sat in the second row of section 30 so it was really hard to tell what was going on and who was doing it with the running game when it wasn't happening right in front of us. I just never heard his name called over the hard to hear pa. My bad. Also, I missed a portion of the game while attending to a friend's hangover.

the ongoing feud between the Hoke versus RR factions, and help unite the Wolverine fan base.

Dopey me.

All this game did was ignite an outright bloody war. Each side can claim to see whatever it is they want to see from this Rosarch test of a game. The culture wars will now continue unabated until we achieve 9-3 . . . or 3-9.

Actually, they will probably continue when Hoke plateaus around 9-3 a year. A lot of fans didn't like the 3 losses per year with Lloyd-ball. Bill Stewart, probably the best analog of Hoke, has gone 9-3 consistently as a manager relying on a very good DC, which seems to be our game plan. But some of us will always want to see an offensive mind like Chip Kelly, Holgerson, or RR running the team. Add in the fact that we have Denard Robinson on our team now, with almost every starter returning, and the team being coached to run RR/Magee's spread for the past couple years, and some of us will always wonder what could have been with this offense.

Really, man? Lloyd won a national championship, five Big Ten titles, and was a couple of plays away from another title game. This kind of stuff sounds so whiny and entitled to me. Realize that there are a bunch of fanbases (OSU, ND, Florida, USC, Oklahoma, FSU, Texas, Alabama...) that think they should be in national championship games every year, but it doesn't really work that way.

Fans at the big programs all want to win the biggest games consistently, but there can only be a few programs at that level. Add in disadvantages due to location and academic standards, and it will be difficult for Michigan to compete with the Alabama, Texas, Florida crowd consistently. That's why some of us think that you really need exceptional coaching. Look at the number of elite players that are committing to programs like Florida, Alabama, etc., versus our classes. A straight-up, run over them MANBALL strategy may work against Michigan State, but the talent disparity between Michigan State and Alabama is significant (see bowl game).

Finally, there is nothing wrong with going for a solid program that doesn't play on the BCS stage often. Hoke and this staff may be put together a solid, respectable old school program. Mattison is an elite coach. But take a look at our offensive coaches. Check our their resumes. Even allowing for some room for disagreement over Borges, do you really think our offensive staff is elite? That they provide an advantage along the lines that Chip Kelly's offense provides, or Holgerson's offense (a student of Leach) provides?

I do think Hoke is completely likeable, and will be easy to root for. I can see how RR rubbed certain people in Ann Arbor the wrong way. But that doesn't mean I have evidence at this point, based on the body of work of Hoke and his staff for the past decade, to think that Michigan will be an elite program under his helm (like Florida under Meyer, Alabama under Saban, etc.).

"there is nothing wrong with going for a solid program that doesn't play on the BCS stage often"

Are you sure? So while it understandable that we will rarely be as good as OSU, we have now come to accept that being an Iowa or Wisconsin (programs that are solid with rare BCS appearances) is good for us.

The point is, if we get back to regular 9-3 type seasons, there will still be some fans who think Michigan, with a different approach, could be doing better. If you think that there will be complete harmony with 3 loss seasons, you are entitled to that opinion.

My friend /no s intended... RR didn't get it done here (fast enough) but I don't think thats the point truss is making. He is simply saying given more time with a spread type coach and our recruiting base... 3 wins turns to 5 then to 7 then to 9 and then maybe more wins on a regular basis, and suddenly you forget the past and are thankful for what you have...a coach like Chip Kelly who does insanely innovative/exciting things offensively & can use his system to even the playing field against the elite. If folks think RR had topped out at 7 wins their batty, Mattison however is doing much better things on D hence the frustration some have is that it's a catch 22 of waiting on something exciting that takes time and maybe has too many bumps and unknowns, or going with something that has been proven to work but may not be as exciting nor have the upside that a RR type might have once things are in place. Regardless of anyone's opinion it is hard to win with the lack of experience and depth we've had the past few years.

Also, Michigan is an elite program if your definition of elite includes history, academics, having a top 15 recruiting base and a great campus. Unfortunately, tradtion alone doesn't cut it in this day and age. I'm not sure we are a truly elite program right now, nor am I sure we have been in a decade. Hopefully, we get back.

RR lovers forget the the HEAD COACH is responsible for the WHOLE TEAM, including the defense and special teams. Last year was unbearable except for the offense, and even that didn't really perform well against top D's. How the fuck can you still be dreaming starry-eyed about the glory days under RR?

For all the bashing, I'd take Carr over RR every time. I was hopeful and supportive of RR while he was here, defended his hire when other UM "fans" didn't like it. In the end though, I don't see how you can even put him in the same sentence as Carr.

For all the winning seasons, consecutive bowls, National title, Big Ten titles, program integrity, etc...Carr will never get a fair shake on this board from the RR jock sniffers. RR will land a job somewhere next year. Some of you should pack up and MOVE there with him.

I'm not overly concerned about the offense after today's game. It will take a little time to learn the new system. But, our D will be improved and help us win a few game we couldn't last year. Because our November schedule is so brutal, I'm going with 8 wins as the most likely. Still, 9 is possible. But, geez ... stop the hand-wringing everyone!

"You owe it to every man, woman, and child in the State of Michigan to beat the Buckeyes and silence their fans! Now go out there and make it happen!"

The offense wasn't flashy, but it's not supposed to be. Mattison and Hoke have both made it very clear that we are going to be a very defensive-minded team. I enjoyed watching the defense making some great plays -- they were very aggressive in coverage

DEFENSE. I think Michigan is finally on the right track. I think the talent on that side of the ball will finally be better utilized, and with the coaching and aggressive play on both sides of the ball, I can't wait until fall. Finally, defenders knowing how to get off the block and swarm to the ball. Like one of the previous commentors said, the D didn't look like road cones...

"Prejudiced? Partial? You better b'leeve I am. Michigan football is a religion and Saturday's the holy day of obligation." Bob Ufer

"the Spirit of Michigan...is based on a deathless loyalty to Michigan and all her ways....and a conviction that nowhere is there a better university, in any way, than this Michigan of ours" - Fielding Yost

If we don't get serious about acquiring some speed at safety this will serve as the defense's biggest liability. Hoke & Mattison know this. I love Kovacs but he needs a speedy partner. (Raymon Taylor, can you close the deal and grow an inch. or two?). Otherwise, I think we're set on D with one closing note - more competition from the second unit please.

As for the offense and our quest for Manball Supremacy aka "WE will run the power play and get downhill..."SCRAP it. The Coaches should learn some spread. My 2-cents is this ,work the power-play-west-coast-blah blah blah in gradually to the offense.

If Denard and Co. can add a back who can go the distance on any down with zone blocking (there I said it - because that's what we have - an OL of vets who know how to zone block). At this point we don't seem to have that guy. (We have a little Vinny who promptly welcomed Mr. Evans back to the Big Ten with a BLOW at the line! Here Here and what else is new!) It would be so rad dudes if one of our freshmen recruits came in and claimed that role. We'll see...

All in all I think the staff did a tremendous job of placing all expectations where they should be! WONDERING...OH OH OH OH WONDERING!

The kids will have their assignments for the offseason and Denard will...well, he'll come back as Denard. =]

I'm fairly certain some of our more successful running plays were using zone blocking, though I'll have to rewatch the motherfucker to be sure.

You're right that our offensive line has not yet picked up on the blocking scheme, but that doesn't mean they won't. We've been running a zone scheme since the late Carr years and it's a big change to ask of guys who have been recurited to/running that scheme for years.

I don't know whether the defense was good or the offense was bad. Either way, I was extremely disappointed seeing Denard and Devin today. Also, we have no established running back, and this kind kind of offense needs a featured back. Hopefully Hopkins or maybe even Cox (!!) can step up. I miss the days of the A-Train, Chris Perry, or Hart running it 30 times a game. Let's get back to traditional Michigan football. However, I think the defense did a good job today. Also we were missing Floyd and Woolfolk in the secondary. I hope Carvin Johnson can lock down that safety spot. He was in the right place at the right time today. I was disappointed by the play today, but I'm extremely optimistic about the upcoming season. We have a very favorable schedule with Nebraska, tOSU, and ND all at home, and we don't have to play Wisco or Penn St. Like many people have said on here, they've only had 15 practices so we shouldn't worry too much. Go BLUE!!

100 times this. I'm shocked by the number of "glass half-empty" people on this board. Cox had a very impressive TD run. The defensive pressure disrupted Denard. The defense was not afraid to lay massive hits whenver they could. This attitude makes the Spring Game so much easier (and much more fun) to watch.

I seem to recall horrible predictions after the M basketball team had a 1-3 (I believe, correct if I'm wrong) stint in Europe.

I also remember the Lions going 4-0 in preseason before going 0-16 in the regular season.

My point: practice games like these mean little to nothing about what's going to come unless something is glaringly obvious. Even then, proper coaching and devotion can help to make these shortcomings a little less horrific. As has been stated for the billionth time, this was their 15th practice in a new system. I will only BEGIN to be worried if they look like they did in this Spring Game a week before Western.

Borges obviously wanted Denard to focus on his transition to the new offense. We all know Denard can run the ball. If Denard went Denard on the D for the entire Spring Game, we would be having this exact same fucking thread with people jumping ship saying "OMG Denard can't run the offense he's a RR player through and through and I like run on sentences and poor punctuation".

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I doubted Denard before his Sophomore year and strongly wanted Tate and his starting experience over him. I will never doubt the man's ability to learn and improve ever again. He'll improve in this system. Once it gets closer to crunch time, the coaches will play to Denard's strengths if he is the quarterback. I mean, having a pocket threat AND a running threat is much more dangerous than just one or the other.

The defense was the big question mark today, and their hustle to the ball and willingness to deliver big hits was a major plus. It's fairly obvious (to me at least) the defense's philosophy has been preached ad-naseum and the players are buying in. Of course they're not going to be 100% adjusted to the new system, but the energy and willingness to fight is as strong as ever.

Prediction? 50+ more threads by the end of the month screaming why Borges is ruining Denard. Oh, you meant W-L? 9-4 with the strong possibility of 10-3.

Offense was horrible, defense seemd to blitz on every play. Like an earlier prediction offense will be worse and defense will be better, I'm guessing 6-6. Not sure why we had to completely break the offense. Oh and by the way, it was boring as hell as well.

I'm sorry Cox's long TD run while plowing over people, DG's touch pass to the corner of the endzone, and DG's bomb and miraculous catch by some guy I don't remember that moved the offense from its own 6 to midfield wasn't entertaining enough for you. I'd like for you to go up to Jake Ryan and Mike Martin and tell them they were boring to watch.

the RR offense from last year against the defensive 1st team this year. Fantasy, I know, but reading the comments on this thread, it would've answered a lot of questions for us common folk.

That said, I think it will be a big mistake if Borges and Hoke insist on establishing pro style as the base offense this season. There is so much upside to this team if the spread and zone blocking remains as the base offense with pro style mixed in as a change of pace. If this happens I see 8 wins as the minimum with a great chance at double digits. If it's mostly pro style with spread mixed in, the win minimum drops to 6. IME.

Fire Hoke you aks? Well that's the question for the fuckin' ages, ain't it?

In 2008 he had some pretty good success against ND and Iowa pounding Minor in the Pro-I. I'm convinced that if he would have run some more of that, especially against the weaker teams on the schedule, he would have picked up a few extra wins and lived to fight another day. He could have installed the spread a little bit less Cold Turkey.

Hoke and Borges DO NOT need a losing season to start off with. By any means necessary, get to 7 wins and a bowl game. There will be plenty of time to install a pure Pro offense.